ISU leading the way in sustainability in College of Design building
addition

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University is making a significant commitment to
sustainability through the design and development of the new building
addition to the College of Design. Anticipated to open for classes in
August, the King Pavilion will be ISU's first new "green" structure on campus
and home to several energy-saving techniques.

The 23,735 gross-square-foot addition was designed under the U.S. Green
Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 2.2
project guidelines. As part of the LEED requirements, the building addition
will meet the highest green building and performance measurements, including
lower operating costs, increased asset value, reduced waste sent to
landfills, decreased water and energy use and reduced greenhouse gas
emissions.

"The building is a highly sustainable work of architecture," said Mark
Engelbrecht, College of Design dean. "The College of Design has always dealt
with the issues of sustainability and is proud that the building is going to
be one of the highest LEED rated projects in the country."

Among the building's energy-saving features will be a "living" roof,
recycled building materials, day-lighting and natural ventilation.

"Building a LEED project is a very integrated process," said Kerry
Dixon-Fox, a university architect and King Pavilion project manager. "We had
to work directly with the architect and figure out how all these green
projects could integrate with each other."

The "living" roof consists of 12 varieties of low-growing,
quick-absorbing and drought-tolerant plant sedums. The sedum roof can absorb
and hold 80 percent of the water fallen on it enabling the roof to evaporate
the water back into the atmosphere, which reduces the stress and amount of
water moving into storm sewers. The green roof also helps reject heat and
insulate the building, making it cooler in the summer and warmer in the
winter.

There are enough windows in the building to provide plenty of daylight to
help reduce electricity. With windows on the bottom and top levels, the
building has the ability to pull air from the lower levels out the top,
which naturally cools and dehumidifies the air. Because of this ability, the
new addition is not air-conditioned.

"With the building's ability to substantially cool itself and because the
addition will not be used during the warmest months of the year, we decided
not to air condition it," said Dixon-Fox.

As part of the LEED requirements, the building materials used must be
partially recycled materials from no farther than a 500-mile radius around
Ames. The project uses 75 percent recycled steel, rock bedding from Missouri
and recycled blue jean insulation. The building is the first on campus to
insulate with the 100 percent cotton product. Similar to the looks of dryer
lint, the blue jean insulation is treated to be less flammable, is bacterial
and fungal resistant, and holds no chemical odors.

The space includes studios, critique spaces, lecture areas and a
specially ventilated spray room. It will be home primarily to students in
the college's Core Design Program and students in the architecture, interior
design and landscape architecture professional programs.

Upon completion, the building will not only bring all design students
under the same roof, it will also provide students with a learning
laboratory of sustainable practices and design.

"The building of this addition will show campus that we can do new
things," said Dixon-Fox. "We have to learn to conserve the resources we
have. And if we use money to make the building as cost-effective and
sustainable as possible, then we can use more money toward education --
which is what we're here to do."

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Quick look

King Pavilion is the University's first "green" structure. It will meet
high green building and performance measurements including lower
operating costs, increased asset value, reduced waste sent to landfills,
decreased water and energy use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It is
scheduled to open for classes in August 2009.

Quote

"We have to learn to conserve the resources we have. And if we use money to
make the building as cost-effective and sustainable as possible, then we can
use more money toward education -- which is what we're here to do."